MusicWeb InternationalThe latest instalment in Naxos's series of reissues of Gerard Schwarz's recordings of American Music with the Seattle Symphony is self-recommending. Two of Copland's best known scores are combined with the more serious, though far from unapproachable Piano Concerto - no longer likely to be thought a 'harrowing horror' as it originally was. Performances and recording are exemplary. Now we need the recording of Appalachian Spring with which the concerto was originally coupled.

Fanfare Magazine - Lynn René BayleyThis is yet another disc in Naxos's Seattle Symphony collection, and again it consists of previously issued material. Recorded between 1990 and 1993, these pieces were originally issued by Delos, Schwarz's former label. As is often the case with Schwarz, they are brisk, lively, well-phrased performances, in places quite elegant. I am particularly taken by his interpretation of "Corral Nocturne" from Rodeo, sensitively played and sensuously phrased. This in itself is conducting of the first rank, as it elevates a rather ordinary piece and makes it sound special. "Saturday Night Waltz" is also played with special elegance, and "Hoedown," based on a country fiddler's private recording of a tune called "Bonaparte's Retreat," has great swagger, although at a tempo a bit too fast to be danced to.

This disc is clearly competitive with most recordings of these works and better than some. Highly recommended.

American Record Guide, July / August 2012The sound and the performances are fantastic. They're also not new: they were recorded in the 1990s for Delos and are reappearing in different couplings on Naxos. The ballet suites were originally coupled with Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite (May/June 1991) and the Piano Concerto with Appalachian Spring and the Symphonic Ode (May/June 1996).